“Whatever. Get in line. I’ve been sued lots of times before.”
— New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by NBC News, practically daring a nurse to sue him for quarantining her even after she tested negative for Ebola.
“Whatever. Get in line. I’ve been sued lots of times before.”
— New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by NBC News, practically daring a nurse to sue him for quarantining her even after she tested negative for Ebola.
Sarah Palin told Fox Business that she may run for office again, in part to “bug the crap” out of liberals.
Said Palin: “Those haters out there don’t understand that it invigorates me. The more they’re pouring on the more I’m gonna bug the crap out of them by being out there with a voice, with a message, hopefully running for office in the future, too.”
Jonathan Bernstein lists five states “most at risk for polling mishaps” in their Senate elections, ranked from most to least likely: Georgia, Alaska, Kansas, Colorado and South Dakota.
“This doesn’t mean any of them will hold surprises once the votes are counted. It just means that right now there are reasons to look at the polls with some skepticism.”
You are reading the free version of Political Wire.
The AP released an interesting description of how they tally votes in national elections.
A new Loras College Poll in Iowa finds Bruce Braley (D) with an edge over Joni Ernst (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 45% to 44%.
A new SurveyUSA poll in Georgia finds David Perdue (R) leading Michelle Nunn (D) in the U.S. Senate race by three points, 48% to 45%.
Last week’s survey found Nunn leading by two points.
Martha Coakley (D) released an internal poll that shows her trailing Charlie Baker (R) in the race for Massachusetts governor by two points, 44% to 42%, the Boston Globe reports.
Roll Call highlights the battle for control of the U.S. Senate.
A new Monmouth University poll in South Dakota finds Mike Rounds (R) with a double-digit lead over Rick Weiland (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 45% to 31%, with Larry Pressler (I) at 19%.
A new Survey USA poll shows Rounds leading Weiland, 43% to 32% with Pressler at 19%.
FiveThirtyEight: “If there’s a race that keeps us awake at night, it’s Alaska. The state is home to one of the most important Senate races in the country, but it also has a history of quirky and often inaccurate polling.”
“Has Begich made a comeback? Perhaps… But there are many reasons to be skeptical. Public sentiment almost never shifts so much so quickly in a general election, especially this late in the race, without major precipitating news events. A candidate might gain a couple of points over a month on the basis of a superior campaign — but usually not more than that.”
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) claims the Obama administration is exploring plans to bring non-U.S. citizens infected with Ebola to the United States for treatment, Fox News reports.
Goodlatte said that his office has received “information from within the administration” that these plans are being developed. So far, only American Ebola patients have been brought back to the U.S. for treatment from the disease epicenter in West Africa.
First Read says Republicans have two big challenges to governing if they win control of both the House and Senate next week.
“One, after portraying Obama as either incompetent, ruthless, or both, how do Republicans sell any kind of deal with Obama back to their base? That’s the problem when your message, especially on the campaign trail, is entirely against the president. It makes cutting deals with him AFTER the election more difficult. Two, to pass legislation in the Senate, Mitch McConnell and Republicans will need to get 60 votes — and that means placating the GOP conservatives (including those running for president next year), the GOP moderates (Susan Collins and the folks up for re-election in 2016 like Mark Kirk, Kelly Ayotte, etc.), as well as centrist Democrats (Joe Manchin, Angus King, etc.). That won’t be an easy task.”
Molly Ball: “Republicans promise that if they seize the majority, they’ll stop Obama–and stop the Washington gridlock. Can they really do both?”
First Read: “How can the national polls look so bad for Democrats (see the NBC/WSJ/Annenberg and Washington Post/ABC polls), but the competitive Senate contests all be within the margin of error? Here’s an answer for you: There are two different midterm environments taking place in the country a week before Election Day. The first is the nationwide one, where there does seem to be a wave building for Republicans and where the GOP has a huge enthusiasm advantage. The second election, however, is taking place in the top Senate and gubernatorial battlegrounds, where Democrats have spent a tremendous amount of money building field organizations and getting (as best they can) their side fired up.”
“This tale of two different midterm elections — not too dissimilar from what we saw in 2012 where the national and battleground polls didn’t match up — also helps explain why House Democrats are in trouble in states not holding competitive races like in California, Minnesota and New York (after all, embattled GOP Rep. Michael Grimm could very well win).”
“Why does Christie have to be such a dick about everything?”
— Jon Stewart, on the Daily Show, on Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) reaction to the Ebola virus.
“According to a source close to Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal, the governor has gained 13 pounds over the past few months. At 5′9″, Jindal has always looked slight; this is the first indication that, with the 2016 election on the horizon, he is looking to beef up,” National Review reports.
Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) “says the model laid out by former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) in his post-congressional life is a ‘great example’ of what she’d like to do: some time as a talking head, a position at a think tank (preferably having something to do with foreign policy), premium speaking fees and maybe a book or two,” the Washington Post reports.
“For most members of Congress, the chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee is the ultimate prize, a treasure trove of power and campaign cash cracked open after decades in the trenches,” Bloomberg reports.
“Paul Ryan is about to get all that and more before he turns 45. The 2012 Republican vice presidential candidate is poised to take charge of the committee in January, giving him a chance to put his limited-government philosophy into practice and test his ability to forge compromises.”
USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page called the Obama White House not only “more restrictive” but also “more dangerous” to the press than any other in history, the Washington Post reports.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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